All the world’s metaphors are on the shelf! Every book shelf is filled with our ways. All there for the reading. Telephones, communications, heroes, our best thoughts, fables and geography. What’s left is to choose which metaphor you want to enter most deeply, and learn to live.

As my friend said to me recently: “Marriage is punk.” That feels more and more true as I go. In my neighborhood, it’s rare to be married, and you are certainly a minority, especially as an artist, which is most of my neighborhood.
A minority platform is alternative, and people are always curious why I’m married. It’s a conversation starter. Interesting.

I love being married. It makes a great frame for intense transformation. Plus it’s fun making up and sharing stories over time and seasons. Used to be normative to be married or aim towards it. Now, it’s punk or alternative. I’m glad to be in that minority these days, and thankful to have found someone to make poetry of life with.

Marriage is still one of the highest and hardest metaphors to incarnate well. Still learning, but glad to be married. Just a pro-marriage thought for you today. Be a punk, be truly alternative, be married—the bumper sticker. As one of my Christian friends said uncynically, “Marriage is a deeper level of fellowship with His Suffering.” Sounded ominous, but i got his point. There’s lots of sacrifice involved. But also potential beauty and formation.

Of course, as my Jewish friends say, you do have to get married at least 12 times to the same person over the course of life. It’s a journey with many types of chapters, in other words. Anyway, thankful for my marriage today.

I have a friend who lives in a local park. He stays in his truck, which he moves around each day, to find shade, and not get parking tickets. I also lived in parks, and in my car for many years all over this country. I relate to him. He gets up early and finds landscaping work each day, and likes to watch movies in his spare time. Nice fellow. I learn lots from him weekly about spiritual contentment. It’s too expensive for many people to live in our city now. And this is his neighborhood, he knows the trees and squirrels by name. So he decided to live this way, to be where is home to him. He is more at home here, than many who have homes. He knows the inner rhythms of things in the neighborhood, and watching and reads the skies well for storms or special sky nights (which we’ve had several recently). Anyway, i like the fellow. Glad we are neighbors and friends.

When I look truly, i cannot lust or take anything from you. I can only bless you with my sight, and be in wonder of who you truly are. I do not see you in terms of my own needs, i value you for yourself—and am astonished by the poem of who you are! I see you as a thou and not an it! I see you as a friend and family member.
I look out at your eternal self, and by seeing it, bless it into becoming. This is the role of a good gaze in the healing. I make you whole by staring at you from the spirit of Christ in me. True perception is an underrated healing agent! How else would you even want to use your imagination. How I image you helps you become that.
How we look at one another matters practically and eternally.
The role of how we see one another is bigger than we think. I need to see you more and more as how God sees you. That’s my task of perceptual sanctification! It heals my imagination as it calls your true image forward!

“You see people deeply before you talk to them—that’s a gift.” Nicest compliment today! I do try to see people from my heart before I talk to them, as best I can. I really do love people, and just try to receive them as and where they are. That always starts with trying to see them well first! And recognize them as a poem, i have only begun to encounter….I’ll keep trying to do that in life! It’s not just assuming the best, it is actually trying to see them outside myself for their intrinsic worth and beauty. That’s my practice. I hope I’m getting better at it. Nice to have someone say that today anyway!

This film being shot using the art building in Antwerp this week, where we have a studio! My landlord’s, both great artists, are doing clean up today! Bless them! As film making is magical and also makes a mess. Beautiful and messy at times, artists, and us all!

Well, at least our building in Antwerp is famous, it already was a character! When i return to our studio there, i will get the building’s autograph. This is a film being shot in Antwerp by de Palma about european terrorism. Should be interesting. All the world is a stage…i do like how film heightens reality long enough to realize everything is more than meets the eye. Or as Buber put it, “beauty is in the “I” of the beholder.

Film, having been involved in several, is also like circus in that it suddenly shows up to town, and sheds light on everything, and then is gone…there is so much which can happen in that space. When I met Steve Carrol last month on set, i realized also, it can be a place to bless from! To humanize by seeing well, and to realize that even every day life is art.

Film is like opera—team art; or just like life. Layered, collaged in meanings…in real and imagined life. And yet, i know artists are beautiful and messy in life.
After talking to my landlord today, hoping clean up afterwards goes well. Artist, in general, seem to always heighten things, and leave a residue to process afterwards! Alas, that’s us.

Blessings in cleaning the temple afterwards friend Agnes Nys! My landlord’s are also both brilliant artists, and had to host all this hoopla of film making. No easy task! Wish i was there to help clean up the set for you guys! Soon. Artists throw the best parties and leave the biggest mess, on many levels! Alas, that’s just how it is. Anyways, thinking of my friends there today, hosting and doing clean up for this film today. Thanks for sharing Agnes! I do like that our building is famous now! Hopefully it can quickly get back to being itself also.

Running through the whole church…

I’ve noticed different gifts in different parts of The Church through the years. I love getting to know the whole Body….
Baptist like word and fellowship! It’s an underrated part of baptist churches that they have a value on eating and fellowship even if you end up talking about whether or not you are saved. Presbyterians always leave me thinking, contemplating, with kindness and a sense of history. Vineyard and some charactismatics leave you you filled with worship and the spirit, but not sure where you are meant to eat—rarely had food around. However, Morningstar was an acceptation as they often had barbecue socials after prophetic sermons, and staff Harley rallies.
Anglicans are pretty balanced i think. Though perhaps they overemphasize social justice to the exclusion of personal formation. It’s cool looking at the gifts of different parts of the church. It’s not as simple as it seems. People often either throw the baby out, or just put the whole church into one “it” blob. Experientially its much more complex than that—and each part has its gift—i mean those pentecostals know gold, but could lose the bouncer deacons in the back of the church who make sure you can’t get out. Then there are the “catchers” in lots of Holy Ghost churches. I like those guys who catch people when they get slain in the Spirit—I’ve been caught a few times, and was thankful they had my back! (Happened in Toronto to me after i met John Arnold and literally got the blessing!)
I’ve gotten to meet many great leaders from different parts of the Body, they all carry special aspects of the whole. Dallas Willard, and other great baptist teachers, as well as many leaders in the more charismatic movements, and gotten to eat in their homes and talk life and God. I’ve been blessed in that way to know so many parts, and get to sort of be a joint between them.
Some are much more socially oriented; others all word and salvation; some power evangelism and healing etc…when you step back and try to see the living parts of the whole in each culturally unique instant, it’s fun to watch the Blood flow.
And I often think we should switch churches monthly, so we get the fuller picture of Him across His Body. All together we are a more accurate picture of Him.
Strengths and weaknesses in each part of the church, but with the baptist was missing that fellowship family gift they carry today. It is rare still to have ten different pies flowing from different houses in the church, as a gift to the whole. Unusual in the world to want to share home that much.
I once had a dream i ran through all the parts of the Body, including the catholics starting at their renewal in the 70’s—great dream which pointed out the best gifts each denomination still carries, and then how to integrate them all in Him. Having so many friends from different branches of the tree always leads me back to The Tree of Life. Yet, it does require some humor to stay friends with the whole Body.

Forever uninterrupted to create for God’s pleasure-the artist’s dream of the afterlife!

No longer for fame or money, or recognition from the eyes of men; but that sheering pleasure of encountering God directly through it all. Observing deeply out way into Him. No longer under the sway of the witchcraft of industry, or raped by sorcery’s and entertainment’s ways, but making art Now, to adorn the throne alone, forever uninterrupted in Love. In that final relational way, which things actually exist in. For God is relational, and desires us to come into friendship. This the prophets and true artist sang about and from!

Studying the history of Jeremiah in art today: the original post modern prophet!

Jeremiah was the first post modern prophet. Here’s a guy who is ironically involved in his own story. Self commenting constantly, has his text burnt shredded, many times, has someone else publish it, is the most autobiographical prophet, but also the most selfless in some ways.

And actually, we get to overhear him quitting his job with God. He’s the prophet for our generation—with so many rising and falling empires, someone staying true to an older Voice and Heart, but with his heart on his sleeve! And, as all prophets has a personal spirituality of friendship with God. Also, like Ezekiel one asked to do both performance art, and symbolic gestures to get across what God was trying to communicate.

I’m studying the history of images in art of Jeremiah today. Once again a man with a very cool grey beard of priestly dimensions, hiding out in caves. He was of course a minister’s son (which was probably his first challenge, as it has been mine), and bought land in his hometown, at a foolish, but symbolic, time to invest in the home team. Certain prophets have authentic style.

This guy’s autobiography was part of the message (i like it with people like Johnny Cash, when their personal story is part of the gospel God is telling), like David and later St Paul, God used their personal stories to tell a bigger story!

Digging Jeremiah today—the post modern prophet of his times! Lived outloud, lived big, lived through at least two generations of God’s purposes. Cool prophet. Good art study today! And inspiring me to grow a long grey beard! Here’s a man not afraid to grow old even if he dies in a foreign land. Also someone who talks to animals and mountains. I like his way. A bit crazy in a good way. I like this guy!

Turning grey in Grace!

Been thinking about grey beards lately, as I have one when i grow it out. I like the symbol! My favorite prophet Jeremiah, is always imaged sporting one, and he really is my hero—his ability to be authentic transparent and speak the truth creatively, with his heart on his sleeve still inspires me. Not to mention, as all prophets, he was an actual friend of God! Had a spirituality of friendship.

Plus, he rocked a cool grey beard. Wasn’t trying to be cool, ok with aging, ok with who he was, though at times openly complained about his task, as we all do, at times. Anyway, as i get older, i’m getting more attracted to grey. Perhaps grey is the new black, or something like that. Why compete to look like we are teenagers, or worse, stay teenagers spiritually. Let’s get older in Him, grow up into the Head, in every area, including facial hair! Just a thought i keep having recently. I like older wines. And I like becoming a spiritual father no longer in competition with others, but having a heart to bless them! Comfortable and accepting of my many years on earth, and year growing in Him!

Grey beards yes! It makes it apparent that you are a parent, no longer in competition with the world, rather wanting to bless others in Wisdom. I like grey beards. They make a statement. I’m ok with being myself. Ok to be getting older, no longer trying to look like a teenager. When you become a father, you are no longer in competition with the world, you are serving it, and covering it. It frees you up, once accepted, to bless more people. To embrace age, is the way to go, as long as you are also spiritually aging!